Mayors fund for London donations

Andrew Boff: Please provide me with a list of everyone who has donated more than £1000 to the Mayors fund for London. Please break this down into a list for each of the following years: 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19?

The Mayor: The Mayor’s Fund for London is an independent charity, of which the Mayor is Patron. This is a strictly ‘non-executive’ role, and neither I nor the Greater London Authority are involved in the Mayor’s Fund’s day-to-day operations. As such, neither I nor the GLA holds the information requested. More information on the Mayor’s Fund is available at www.mayorsfundforlondon.org.uk; and, as a registered charity, financial information is also filed with, and available from, the Charity Commission.

Low Pay Commission

Leonie Cooper: Did you respond to the Low Pay Commission’s consultation? If so, can you share the response?

The Mayor: I didn't respond to the Low Pay Commission's consultation on this occasion. I am vocal in my support for the real Living Wage rate which ishigher than the minimum wage rate the Government is consulting on. Unlike the Living Wage Foundation's rates, it is not calculated according to the cost of living and is, therefore, lower than what people need to afford a decent standard of living.
Last month my statutory Deputy Mayor, Joanne McCartney represented the GLA at a meeting of the Living Wage Commission. This is the decision-making forum considering how to incorporate policy changes and new sources of data into the calculation of the real Living Wage, including the London Living Wage.

Mayors press office

Andrew Boff: How many people are in Mayor’s press office and what was the total cost of the Mayor’s press office for the 2018/19 year?

The Mayor: The number of people in the Mayor’s Press Office for the year 2018/19 is 16 (including a corporately funded advanced apprentice).
The total cost of the Mayor’s Press office for the year 2018/19 is £920,967.95.
This includes the budget for the shared service media monitoring contract provided to the Mayor and the London Assembly, TfL, Crossrail and the Met Police.

Car Scrappage Scheme

Tony Arbour: When will the Mayor launch his car scrappage fund announced earlier this year?

The Mayor: Transport for London (TfL) is working closely with City Hall on the proposals for the low income scrappage scheme, such as the eligibility criteria, application and delivery processes. The aim is to launch the scheme later this year. This is a scheme being developing from scratch and it is right that the appropriate time is taken in designing it to ensure that the funding available is targeted at and benefits those who need it most. I have written to the Rt Hon Amber Rudd MP and the Rt Hon Michael Gove MP seeking their assistance to verify eligibility to the scheme and to provide match funding. The scheme will be ready to support low income Londoners well ahead of the expansion of the ULEZ to inner London in October 2021.

Mayor's press office

Andrew Boff: How many press officers are employed by the Mayor's press office? Please provide a breakdown by year of the following years - 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19?
What is the total cost by year of these press officers? Please provide a breakdown by year of the following years - 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19?

The Mayor: The number of press officers employed by the Mayor’s Press Office for the years 2015/16 to 2018/19 is as follows:
The total cost of these press officers for the years 2015/16 to 2018/19 is as follows:
These are the net costs after income is taken into account from a shared service agreement with MOPAC.
Two fixed-term press officer roles were created in 2017 in response to significantly increased workload and responsibilities and the need to strengthen the team’s ability to respond to a major incident, following the terror attacks on London and the Grenfell fire. Oversight Committee approved the conversion of these posts from fixed term to permanent in April 2019.

Mayors fund for London

Andrew Boff: What is the relationship between the Mayors fund for London and the Mayor of London? The Mayors fund for London seems to be registered with both the Charity Commission and Companies House and yet is based in City Hall. Please clarify.

The Mayor: The Mayor’s Fund for London is an independent charity which champions social mobility for young Londoners from low-income backgrounds. As Mayor of London, I am Patron of the charity. The charity has an independent board of trustees who are responsible for the governance of the charity, and a staff team who deliver its activities under the leadership of the CEO. In my role as Patron, I have the option of nominating two trustees to the board. I have not so far done so, but am discussing this with the Mayor’s Fund trustees and chief executive. The Mayor’s Fund for London rent desk space at City Hall, and have done since the charity was established in 2009.

Street racing

Shaun Bailey: Would the Mayor commit to delivering a permanent solution to the on-going street racing problem on the A10 Great Cambridge Road in Enfield that is continuing to cause much distress to Londoners?

The Mayor: The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) is working with Transport for London (TfL) and the London Borough of Enfield to resolve the long-standing problems associated with speeding and road racing on the A10. A number of measures are being explored as part of a problem-solving approach which includes plans for safety cameras. The installation of a safety camera on the A10 is being given serious consideration as part of TfL’s new risk-based criteria to prioritise future locations for the installation of safety cameras to ensure we effectively target the locations where risks are greatest and cameras are most likely to be effective in achieving compliance with speed limits. TfL is liaising with the Borough of Enfield on this issue and a decision is expected shortly.
The MPS/TfL part-funded Roads and Transport Policing Command, with Enfield Police, is continuing to undertake targeted enforcement against this dangerous and reckless behaviour that risks lives and causes distress to the local community, until a longer-term solution is in place. Since the start of May, the RTPC has been and continues to undertake a high-profile enforcement operation; this has attracted significant partner/public support and has seen high levels of priority Vision Zero enforcements including 165 for speeding, eightfor no insurance, fourfor drink/drug driving, 13 vehicles seized and 13 arrests made.

Tube dust (3)

Caroline Russell: How long do tube tunnels remain clean for after a deep tunnel clean, based on current data?

The Mayor: Although TfL has undertaken deep tunnel cleans, data is not yet available to assess the impact of these on the length of time the tunnels continue to remain clean. Further work needs to be carried out to establish how long a deep tunnel clean reduces dust levels. This is likely to be dependent on a number of factors, including usage, maintenance activities and connections with other Tube lines.
Transport for London (TfL) is, therefore, recommissioning two air quality monitors, which allow for long term monitoring of dust levels. TfL will use these to better evaluate how dust levels change. This could include assessing the long-term impact of a deep tunnel clean.

Northern Line Extension (2)

Florence Eshalomi: In December 2018 you said, “the end of December 2020 target is under review…. TfL is reviewing the timetable for the extension. This process is expected to be completed in the new year”. Are you able to confirm what the revised opening date is?

The Mayor: The review I referred to in my December 2018 oral update has been completed. The remaining works on the Northern line Extension are expected to be completed in autumn 2021, with a target opening date of September 2021. The opening of the extension continues to align with the wider regeneration of the Vauxhall Nine Elms Battersea area and will ensure Transport for London will be operating Northern line services on the extension when demand for the line is there.

Heathrow Noise

Tony Devenish: Does the Mayor agree with recent analysis showing that up to 1.6 million people could be affected by Heathrow noise of over 65 decibels if the third runway goes ahead and some residents could be overflown by 47 planes an hour? If so, how will you seek to increase awareness of these figures?

The Mayor: I have consistently raised concerns about the unacceptable noise exposure that will result from a third runway at Heathrow and the negative consequences for public health.I have already communicated, and encouraged Londoners to respond to, Heathrow’s airspace and future operations consultation, highlighting the potential significant noise impacts that thousands of Londoners would experience as a result of the proposals. I also communicated Heathrow’s Development Consent Order consultation, again highlighting the significant environmental impacts that may result and encouraging Londoner’s to participate.
Thisrecentlatest analysis, based on documents published by Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL), only serves to reinforce those concerns. The Government’s own analysis found that 2.2 million people will be exposed to a significant increase in aircraft noise as a result of expansion.
The threat of severe noise exposure is compounded by the lack of clarity as to where exactly the flightpaths will go. HAL’s decision to prolong the airspace change process means that the actual flightpath options - which would allow local communities to understand the specific nature of the noise they will be exposed to - will only be published in 2022 at the earliest. This would be long after a decision has been made on HAL’s Development Consent Order (DCO) planning application and does a great disservice to Londoners as they seek to fully understand the impacts of Heathrow expansion as part of the DCO process.
I understand that HAL has rejected these findings – but it has no credibility in doing so, so long as it continues to hide behind process and fails to publish the actual flightpath options, which would allow for a full understanding of the noise impacts. I will continue to stand up for all Londoners by opposing expansion at Heathrow.